Sympathy for a Songbird
by Nan Ma
Summary: Zhen Ji and Yue Ying undertake a shadowy affair right under Cao Pi's nose. For Lady Zhen, it is about the last bit of freedom that remains to her. To Yue Ying, it is about a woman worth fighting for.
1. Chapter 1

"No- stop." Zhen Ji's arms shot up and pushed the other woman away.

Yue Ying wiped her mouth, her wobbling breasts heaving with exertion. "Hmm, why?"

Zhen Ji slid off the chair and walked around the room, pulling the curtains closed against the light of the full moon. Free from the eyes of men, she assumed none of her usual seductive demeanor that she played in front of the opposite gender, but still, she was graceful- terribly so. "Listen," she said, her voice flat with dread instead of sensual and musical. "You have to go away. Now. And not come back."

The Lady Dragon followed her silently as the noblewoman made her way around the room, rearranging it to its former state before the entry of Zhuge Liang's wife. "Miss Zhen," she said quietly. "What is wrong?"

"I told you, we're already running a risk. My husband… Go away now. Back to your camp." Lady Zhen slammed her flower vase onto the dresser. "We're doubly damned. He finds us, first it's you who goes six feet under. And then it's me. And if possible, thirdly, your husband as well."

"I would doubt that your royal windbag would discover us easily," Yue Ying replied calmly.

"It's not a risk anyone should take." Before she met Yue Ying, she would have bristled at the insult to Cao Pi, but she only felt numbness now at the mention of her husband. As she turned to rearrange her dresser, two strong arms drew her back and pressed her cheek to the soft curve of neck.

"There is risk in everything. The way you make your choices is that you weigh the risks and benefits. Now, won't you come to me?"

Zhen Ji fell into her lover's embrace, her stiff, sensitive peaks rubbing against Yue Ying's. "I wish I was as free as you," she admitted, kissing the other woman's lips.

"You will be. We're women. We've always found a way."

Zhen Ji moaned as Yue Ying reached down, tracing her palm down they shorter woman's milk-smooth skin, and started to stroke her, first slowly, and then faster, until Zhen Ji felt as if molten metal were coursing through her blood vessels. She tightened her legs, lifting one to grant her partner better access. "Keep going," she panted, moving her hips along with Yue Ying's fingers, the delicate skin snagging on the warrior's calloused hands, until they suddenly stopped.

Yue Ying slammed her free hand over Zhen Ji's mouth. "Shh," she hissed quietly, her slender eyes shifting back and forth.

The heavy sound of guards' footsteps echoed on the stairwell up to the lady's bedchamber.

"My husband," Lady Zhen gasped.

"I hate to leave you to him," Yue Ying whispered harshly.

"What can we do?" Lady Zhen sighed. "Hurry, he'll be here soon!" she hissed, pushing her lover towards the entry window.

"Tomorrow night," Yue Ying promised, hugging Lady Zhen quickly before gliding out the window, her slender shape blending into the night.

A tear nearly escaped her eye as she felt her ribcage being squeezed by sorrow. "Lady Dragon…" she sighed quietly.

There was a knock on the door. "Hello, flower," a cool voice purred.

Zhen Ji tightened her lips. A woman did what a woman had to do to survive. She quickly wiped Yue Ying's kisses off of her face and tightened her red lips in a seductive pout. A sham, fake, phony seductive pout.

The door quietly opened, and silk bootsteps padded into the room.

Lady Zhen turned around, her eyes half-closed. "My husband."

Cao Pi embraced her- but he held her all wrong, possessive-like, uncaring-like, man-like. He smirked when he saw her flushed face. "You look excited."

"I was thinking about you and imagining…" she sighed, thinking fast.

Cao Pi laughed. "I thought so, I thought so. Come to me, pet," he commanded. "My flower, _mine._"

Zhen Ji complied like an eager wife, but only thing flashing through her mind was the thought of her sweetheart, dashing through the shadows like a crane free in the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello reader sorry we have quiet a long time. We are busy often and do not have long attention spans so we are slow. But we hope you will like this new chapter. Thank you so much, the people who have left reviews on this story that make us happy to write more for you.

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><p>Lady Zhen cast an eye over the new concubines-to-be that Cao Pi had assembled. They were lovely all right, as delicate as flowers, swaying as if a nonexistent wind would blow them right over as they stood. Their faces and hands were uniformly powdered, and in their soft, gauzy robes and thin fabrics, they appeared as candied confections lined up in a row.<p>

"What do you think, Zhen?" Cao Pi asked as she entered. "I'm trying to bestow some semblance of a ranking."

Ah. His new concubines, the poor girls. They were probably half-glad to be in such an important household but half-sad to be only concubines, not the principle wife, like their parents had probably told them from childhood. It was a paradox- talented, beautiful girls from such high-ranking families were normally principle wives, yet they were the only ones Cao Pi would take into his harem as concubines.

She had forgotten that he was importing in some new blood today. "They're pretty," she said without much feeling. They were all the same cut-out beauties, fragile and ice-pale with luminous eyes, Cao Pi's favorite. Not her type, really- Zhen Ji preferred women who didn't look like they'd evaporate the moment the sun hit them.

"Why don't you start with the highest rank and go down from there?" she offered, watching the young ladies sit straight and silent, as if she were not in the room. None of them bowed their heads to her- as their future boss, her favor did not look like it was going to be bestowed generously on them.

"I've already decided on her." Cao Pi frowned. "She's late."

Lady Zhen tilted her head. This was unusual. "You've already spent time with someone?" she asked, almost accusingly.

"Yes. The daughter of Guo Yong. She should have arrived this morning," he said impatiently.

Zhen Ji felt a sinister glee in knowing that Cao Pi was annoyed, that he wouldn't just _everything_ he wanted. "How inconsiderate. Or maybe she was waylaid."

"I hope that's the case," he said, clearly irritated. "Maybe I'll just give her rank to someone else."

At that, the ladies noticeably stirred, sneaking little hopeful glances up.

"Anyways, why don't we start from lowest rank first? Sort out the ones who won't get high rank."

Lady Zhen was glad that she was not the one being judged so heartlessly, that it wasn't her position in the household on the line.

"So-"

A maidservant ran in and bowed. "My lord, Lady Guo has arrived. Should she get changed first-"

"What took her so long? Send her in right away," Cao Pi said coolly, rolling his eyes. "She had better have a good excuse."

"Agreed," Lady Zhen said, without really agreeing. She hoped that _someone_ would annoy her prince, since she couldn't.

"Anyways, let's get on with the sorting- you three on the left, stand up," Cao Pi ordered, waving a hand imperiously.

Was it just her, or was Cao Pi getting more and more immature and ridiculous by the day? Perhaps it was just spending time with Yue Ying that gave her a lower and lower tolerance for nonsense. The Lady Dragon was cool where Cao Pi was spoiled, generous where he was selfish, understanding and compassionate where he was- Zhen Ji shook her head as if to clear her mind of the those. It wouldn't do to compare them- she was stuck with one, and by her opinion, no comparison would ever be in his favor. The courtiers and ministers called Cao Pi regal, bold, and commanding. Lately, she had began to call him spoiled, rude, and demanding. Perhaps she was a bit harsh, but he certainly was quite calling for it.

As the new girls were being sorted around, there was a knocking at the door before a servant came in, leading in a strange woman. As Cao Pi ignored them, the servant motioned for the newcomer to wait near the door, giving Lady Zhen a chance to examine her.

She was tall- taller than Cao Pi even, with long limbs and large hands. She was odd-looking with alien features, such as her widely-spaced, eyes and blunt nose. She carried the smell of dust, dung, and sweat. The same dust and mud covered her, caked on her shoes, clothes, and face.

When he finally turned around, Cao Pi looked cross. "Why are you late?" Cao Pi asked curtly. "This is not quite an auspicious start."

Lady Guo looked him in the eye, her dirt-smeared face frowning. "I came here quite quickly. This is a five-day's walk, and I arrived in three. Don't call me late."

Lady Zhen hid a smile. This lady would soon learn that talking back always had its punishment, but for now she drew a sort of vicarious pleasure from Cao Pi's anger.

"You walked here? I sent a sedan chair," Cao Pi said.

"I suppose they didn't come."

"And who carried your dowry?"

"I don't have a dowry. I'm sure I reminded you of that."

"Wait outside. You are filthy," Cao Pi ordered.

The lady obeyed nonchalantly, as if indulging a child, as she left, scattering dried mud before exiting as ordered.

Cao Pi sighed, his lips tightening. "None of you ever show up looking like that, on the pain of demotion," he said. "I do not run a farm here, and I expect you all to act as ladies, not as beasts. I am disappointed."

He certainly wasn't the only one, Lady Zhen thought with a bitter smile. She wondered what Yue Ying was doing now- what was she doing all the way in Shu? Perhaps practicing archery. Lady Zhen imagined the Lady Dragon relaxing in the warm sunlight on a grassy knoll, her shapely, strong arms drawing a bow back and letting arrows fly, while her hair tangled freely in the wind. Or maybe she was reading, with her finger dipped into her mouth contemplatively. Or maybe riding, or tinkering with her gadgets, or painting? There were so many things that the multi-talented woman loved doing in her spare time! Lady Zhen smiled upon imagining her lover juggling eight different tasks at once, but frowned when she remembered that she was stuck here.

"Hmm. Perhaps I should examine them closer," Cao Pi said aloud to himself, startling Zhen Ji out of her thoughts.

Oh dear. She knew what was coming. "My lord, may I go supervise the servants?" she asked, thinking of an excuse to leave. "I believe that your judgment is wiser than mine, and I hate to be disorganized." In reality, she had no desire to see Cao Pi fondling the girls.

"Of course. That is a good idea. I will see you later, my flower," Cao Pi assured her, touching her hand gently.

Zhen Ji merely bowed out and exited.

Strangely, the new lady, who was supposedly waiting outside, was nowhere to be seen. Lady Zhen didn't blame her, but if Cao Pi called and she wasn't there, Lady Guo had better have a good excuse.

She spotted the tall figure in the courtyard, harsh against the glare of the day.

"Lady Guo," she said, clearing her throat and approaching.

"I hear you," came the reply. Up close, Lady Guo was even more intimidating, towering over Zhen Ji.

"I am Lady Zhen, Cao Pi's principle wife," she said coolly, not needing to add that she was also in charge of her.

"So I realized."

"You should get cleaned."

"So I realized."

"Go get cleaned."

"How should I know where your watering-hole is?" she snorted.

Lady Zhen rolled her eyes at the crude words. "Come with me," she ordered.

0000000000000000000000000000

The bathing pool was in one of the walled gardens near the women's quarters. From the front courtyard, it was a long walk, but a walk she knew well. Lady Zhen followed a familiar stone path towards the pool and glanced over the bushes, trying to see if she could see the buildings of the inner quarters from the pool, before turning back to Lady Guo.

"Go. Clean that filth off of yourself," she ordered.

Lady Guo only looked around at her surroundings, her eyes bright at the strange plants.

Perhaps intending to lead by example, Lady Zhen shed layer after layer of her formal robes, revealing her slender, graceful form and milky skin, before dipping a leg into the warm water. She slipped into the hot spring, wading to one of the benches carved on the wall. Just when she had closed her eyes and was beginning to unwind, a heavy splash sent water spraying all over her. Coughing, she opened her eyes to see Lady Guo surfacing and tossing her heavy black hair over her head. As the dirt and grime slide away from the newcomer's face, Lady Zhen realized why Cao Pi was so drawn to her- she was a very strange woman indeed. The new lady was not conventionally beautiful but exotically so, with large, light-brown eyes and long, fierce face. Her eyes were oddly slanted and her nose pointed, giving her the impression of a proud deer.

Well, the Caos had always liked unusual novelties, she supposed. "You're from a barbarian tribe, aren't you?" Lady Zhen asked, keeping her voice carefully neutral.

"My father was the Grand Administrator of a province. Of course I'm not a barbarian," Lady Guo replied just as neutrally, diving under the water with such a powerful kick that Lady Zhen felt the current churn against her smooth stomach. The strange woman turned over backwards in the water, and Lady Zhen wrinkled her nose at the wild, ungroomed mass of hair covering her privates. The newcomer was certainly not quite lady material.

"You have the look of a barbarian," Lady Zhen observed dryly.

Lady Guo ignored her and waded out further into the pool. "The water here is shallow, isn't it?"

Lady Zhen scoffed. "Shallow? Any deeper and we would be over our heads!"

"It's shallow," she stated. "I can't swim here."

"This isn't for swimming. It's for bathing," Zhen Ji replied.

"Interesting." Lady Guo dove under the water again, swimming over to Lady Zhen with powerful kicks. She surfaced in front of her, her small, firm breasts level with Lady Zhen's chin. "I was told you were a strict mistress," she said bluntly.

Zhen Ji frowned. "Hmm? Maybe I am. Who told you that?"

"The maids." Guo Nuwang swung her head from side to side, clearing her thick black hair off of her shoulders. The side of her head flashed by for a moment, catching Zhen Ji's attention.

"Lady Guo, where are your ears?" she asked, peering at the scarred tissue.

"My ears? My father cut them off." Lady Guo stepped closer, peering at Lady Zhen. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm curious when people are missing body parts."

"I see."

Lady Zhen sighed. "You make for trying company," she stated, watching Lady Guo slip under the water again.

There was a loud splash as she surfaced, shaking herself off like a dog. "I realized."

What an irritating woman! Lady Zhen frowned as water droplets splattered all over her face. "Please, this pool is for _bathing,_ not playing," she began, only to have Lady Guo dive under the water again. Seeing that the stranger was more interested in jumping about like a frog, Lady Zhen rose and climbed the shallow steps out of the pool, taking a thin hemp robe on as she went. A servant would be there to show that girl Guo around later, she was sure. Besides, Lady Zhen did not particularly want to be in charge of the newcomer. With a shake of her head, she started on the path back to the ladies' living quarters.

The greenery about her shone quite gaily in the sun. The gardens were well-designed, just like the rest of the Cao residence. Cao Pi had taken the care to mimic the tropical forests of the southlands in the ladies' bathing area, and as a result, wide banana leaves and lush ferns shadowed the path around her, moving slightly in the wind.

There was a servant in a wide-brimmed hat was pruning a fat-trunked tree. Lady Zhen carefully dodged around the woman and continued on.

Personally, she thought that the tree looked quite nice as it was. Why did it need pruning-

Lady Zhen spun around and ran towards the gardener. With one fluid motion, she snatched the hat off of the other woman's head.

"Are you crazy, Yue Ying?" she hissed.

The "gardener" stood up and grinned smugly. "I was wondering if I needed to run after you."

"What are you doing here?" Zhen Ji demanded, her head whipping around to make sure that there was no one about. "Shh- Yue Ying, run-"

The Lady Dragon laughed and slid forward with her easy, natural grace, her long arms unfurling from her lithe body. "Don't worry so much, my Zhen. Do you think the wife of Zhuge Liang would be so uncautious and prance in here without planning?"

Zhen Ji threw her arms around Yue Ying, feeling her warm, soft skin and rounded curves. "You're too cunning," she laughed, reaching up to brush a stray reddish hair out of Yue Ying's face. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, am I not allowed to visit you when I please?" she joked. "No, I jest. I know it is difficult to find safe moments- I hid first in the gardener's shed, and then I disguised myself in the trees. Luckily one of the guards has suddenly become ill," she said, twirling a finger under Zhen Ji's chin. "I had to take the chance to come find you." Her eyes darkened. "I calculate that I only have five minutes from now before a replacement comes-"

"Don't risk yourself like this!" Lady Zhen exclaimed. "If you're caught-"

"Bah, if even the great Sima Yi himself can't catch me, what's the chance the sentries can?" Yue Ying said, laughing. "Our time is short- I came to give you this." She grabbed Zhen Ji's hands and kissed them quickly before pressing a cold, edged object into them.

"Oh Yue Ying!" Lady Zhen sighed. "You really-"

"Someone's coming. I see a shadow on the path- I have to go," Yue Ying hissed, sliding into the shadows before Lady Zhen could even take a good-bye kiss.

She was alone again. Beside her, small birds chirped about the branches of the greenery all around, and only a breeze stirred in the narrow path.

Was there really someone? Lady Zhen strained her ears, but heard nothing, until the shadow Yue Ying had spoken of was cast onto the stone.

Lady Guo, dripping water behind her, stood before Lady Zhen.

"Who were you talking to?" Lady Guo asked, her tone unreadable.

"Hmm? I didn't hear anyone talking," Zhen Ji replied, lifting her eyebrows as if genuinely confused. "A gardener and a maid passed by a bit earlier. Maybe it was them-"

"I doubt it," Lady Guo said, lifting up the hem of her robe. Her odd almond eyes stared emotionlessly at Lady Zhen as she passed by. "Scent or sound, none can pass anything by me."

Lady Zhen clutched Yue Ying's present, wondering if her words had been a threat. When she was positive that the strange woman was far away, she opened her hands.

A tiny bird, carefully put together from even tinier feathers of metal enameled so colorfully, was stained with sweat from her anxious hand. There was a tip of blood on one wing, from her tight grip- its twin cut was pressed against one joint of her ring finger.

Lady Zhen held it up wonderingly in the light- was exquisite craftsmanship, and what a simply lovely little bird! Two garnets set in eyes, and the shafts of the tail feathers lined in contrasting metal. She held her breath, half expecting the little creature to take flight, as its creator had.


End file.
